The unassisted home waterbirth of Nikolai Francis~5/5/09
I knew I would be meeting my baby that day around 6:30 a.m. That's when the contractions started coming regularly. It was still early labor, so I was able to get Gabriel and Joseph off to school, and finish up some things around the house. I put in a load of laundry, and swept the floor. Once the boys left for school, around 8:00, Stephen and I got in the shower and I started to have more intense contractions, but still not too bad. We had been planning on going grocery shopping that day, and I briefly contemplated going along, since I'm kind of particular about certain things that I like to buy, but I quickly thought better of it. The contractions were coming faster, every 6-7 minutes, and stronger. This was around 9:30. Stephen, Bobby, and Persephone left for the store at that point. I did the dishes, because I knew that would be the last thing I would want to think about once he was here!
The birth pool was already inflated, so when I was done with the dishes, I started filling it. The water felt amazing! The hardest part was having to get out of the pool and walk to the kitchen to shut the water off when it went cold. I was on my hands and knees to keep my belly underwater, since it hadn't filled enough yet. I was having intense contractions at that point, breathing and moaning through them. Stephen and the kids got home around 10:30, and he was back and forth between checking on me, getting the kids settled, and putting groceries away. Once we had hot water again, he finished filling the pool. I lost track of time around then.
I stayed in the pool for awhile, and started to feel the urge to push. It wasn't constant, so I just went with it, and did what my body was telling me to. I reached in and felt my bag of water bulging, and the baby's head. What an awesome feeling! I continued to push when I felt like it, but after awhile of the baby not coming down at all, I was getting frustrated, and hot from being in the water. Stephen spread some blankets on the bed, opened the window, and helped me out of the pool. The cool air felt good, and I continued to moan through the contractions, pushing when I felt like it, and taking full advantage of the rest in between. In those few short minutes in between contractions, I felt like I was in another world, totally removed from everything around me.
I had expected my water to break on its own, but it hadn't, and it didn't feel like I was making any progress bringing him down. On top of that, I was experiencing very intense back labor, which led me to think that he was posterior (face-up), with the hardest part of his head pressing against my spine. I told Stephen if he did nothing else, I needed him to lay into my lower back, to put all of his weight into it. I told him not to worry about hurting me. The counter pressure was the only thing that brought any relief. I started to get cold then, so I climbed back into the pool. I alternated between moaning and being completely silent with each contraction.
I felt my water bulging again, but couldn't feel the baby's head anymore, so we decided to break it on our own. Stephen sterilized a pair of fingernail clippers and tried to do it himself, but said he couldn't feel what he was doing. I took the clippers, reached inside, pricked the sac, and immediately felt the fluid rushing out. I was on my hands and knees, so I asked Stephen if it was dirty or not, and he said no. All of a sudden, I felt a massive urge to push, and went with it. In between urges, I'm telling Stephen to get the video and digital cameras ready. I remember saying "He's coming, he's coming". and Stephen asking me if he was crowning yet. I was still on my hands and knees, but flipped over when I felt his head crowning. I eased his head out, and what a wonderful feeling! Once his head was born (he was face down, so he must have turned in the birth canal), I checked for a cord around his neck, but there was none. I was just in awe as I held his head in my hands. He was between worlds. His shoulders came in another few pushes, and his body just slid out. There was no pain in the actual pushing, crowning, and birth of his body. It felt good and such a relief!
I brought him up to my chest, and just wept. I'm crying as I type this. As much as I planned and hoped for a wonderful birth experience, I could never have imagined something so beautiful. There are no words to do it justice. I will carry this experience with me for the rest of my life, hold it close to my heart, and be forever thankful that I was able to bring my son into the world in such a peaceful, gentle way.
I recently found this article about prenatal genetic testing. I feel everyone should know about prenatal tests, risks and benefits, and who the tests are recommended for. Your prenatal care provider can help you with this, and there are really good books available that will help you educate yourself to make an informed choice. Some of my favorite books on the subject include "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer and "Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn" by Simkin, Whalley and Keppler.
Hypnobabies.org Logo
Here is the diaper cover by itself, inside view, ready to be stuffed with a prefold diaper. The green part is PUL fabric, especially designed to be waterproof. I used cotton flannel on the top to conserve my PUL where it wasn't needed, and to add some color to the cover.
Here is the cover stuffed with a medium size prefold diaper
You can see where I've added long strips of touch tape for maximum size versatility. Hook tape on the front, and loop tape on the inside of each wing.
I also added hook touch tape to the outside of one wing so the wings can stick to each other for a secure fit, and hopefully to avoid drooping or having my kids take their own diaper off. I've had problems with drooping with some of the retail covers I've tried.
And here is the back. The back panel is key for size versatility. For a toddler, just put the diaper on as is, and for a younger child simply fold down the top back of the cover to create a lower rise to fit the baby.
Here is a photo of my 3 1/2 year old wearing the diaper. Notice that the wings don't overlap because of his size.
The backside of my big boy. The flannel panel isn't folded down at all for him.
A side view. Notice how trim the diaper is.
This is the same size diaper on my 18 month old. Notice how much the wings overlap on her, and it still fits her snug. I used a different piece of flannel when I made this cover, but everything is the same as the diaper my son is wearing. She had been wearing this diaper all night and I took the photo first thing in the morning, so it was very full at this point.
Here is a back view of the diaper on my 18 month old. The back flannel panel has been folded down to fit her nicely. She wouldn't hold still for me to take a side view.
Back in February I blogged about an Educational Childbirth Video Contest conducted by Birth Matters Virginia.
My baby's due date is approaching soon. I have two due dates; one based on the first day of my last menstrual period, and the other is based on an ultrasound that was done at 20 weeks gestation. The ultrasound date is 11 days later than the other, and I know that estimated due dates are not always accurate, so we are awaiting the arrival of our baby whenever he decides it's time to come. My obstetrician also admitted to me that ultrasound dates aren't very accurate at 20 weeks, and if we had done an ultrasound earlier, say around 9 weeks, it would have been much more accurate. When someone asks me when the baby is due, I just say "sometime in July". I get some pretty funny looks from them when I don't give an exact date, but I'd rather not focus on a specific day and get myself worked up about it. 
The birth pool was already inflated, so when I was done with the dishes, I started filling it. The water felt amazing! The hardest part was having to get out of the pool and walk to the kitchen to shut the water off when it went cold. I was on my hands and knees to keep my belly underwater, since it hadn't filled enough yet. I was having intense contractions at that point, breathing and moaning through them. Stephen and the kids got home around 10:30, and he was back and forth between checking on me, getting the kids settled, and putting groceries away. Once we had hot water again, he finished filling the pool. I lost track of time around then.
I had expected my water to break on its own, but it hadn't, and it didn't feel like I was making any progress bringing him down. On top of that, I was experiencing very intense back labor, which led me to think that he was posterior (face-up), with the hardest part of his head pressing against my spine. I told Stephen if he did nothing else, I needed him to lay into my lower back, to put all of his weight into it. I told him not to worry about hurting me. The counter pressure was the only thing that brought any relief. I started to get cold then, so I climbed back into the pool. I alternated between moaning and being completely silent with each contraction.
I brought him up to my chest, and just wept. I'm crying as I type this. As much as I planned and hoped for a wonderful birth experience, I could never have imagined something so beautiful. There are no words to do it justice. I will carry this experience with me for the rest of my life, hold it close to my heart, and be forever thankful that I was able to bring my son into the world in such a peaceful, gentle way.
I always talk about how important it is to educate yourself about your options and your rights. This will hopefully clarify what those rights and some options are. I ran across this blog by Doula Momma that lists 20 rights of childbearing women.
I just came across this article regarding a proposed AMA medical billing change that could affect expectant parents' rights to take charge of their prenatal care by jeopardizing their ability to get insurance coverage or seek other care givers by labeling them as "non-complaint". Under this proposed change, I could be labeled as non-compliant by my obstetrician's office simply for not subscribing to the suggested routine of prenatal visits (because I've been doing those with my midwife instead) and choosing not to participate in certain prenatal tests and screens. I would hate for my personal choices in managing my prenatal care to impact my future care options. I've posted the article in its entirety.
Prenatal health care is very important. I found an article in my local news that talks about this: 
